THE demolition of homes on the south side of the A472 at Hafodyrynys Hill is on a shortlist of six options being considered to tackle air pollution problems.

Woodside Terrace, Woodside shops and Yr Adfa are potential demolition targets, which would in turn enable Caerphilly council to realign the A472.

The road at Hafodyrynys Hill is among the most polluted in the country. Nitrogen dioxide levels were recorded as higher than anywhere else in the country except central London, in 2015 and 2016.

The council was ordered to carry out a feasibility study to ensure compliance with agreed air quality standards in the shortest possible time.

Thirty potential options have been whittled down to six, including the demolition option, and an initial plan appraising these must be submitted to the Welsh Government by September 30

The plan will be considered too, in a report to the council’s cabinet on October 3., setting out options in detail and also rules out undeliverable proposals based on three criteria -effectiveness, timescales, and deliverability.

As well as demolition and road alignment, the options are: Change signal timings at Crumlin Junction; signalise the A472/B4471 as a priority junction, and introduce an eastbound queue detector; ban heavy goods vehciles at peak hours; establish a clean air zone/low emission Zone; establish air quality areas.

The council has meanwhile written to residents in the area providing an update about the ongoing work that is being undertaken to improve the air quality on Hafodyrynys Hill.

"If our initial plan is approved by Welsh Government, the next phase will include traffic and air quality modelling to determine whether the options are effective in reducing air pollution," said councillor Eluned Stenner, cabinet member for the environment and public protection.

"We will, of course, keep residents informed and updated.”

The council must submit a final plan to Welsh Government by June 2019.